Chris Jones is a Certified Beekeeper who has been keeping bees for over 10 years. He has served as VP of Metro Atlanta Beekeepers Association and organized their annual Beekeeping Short Course during that time.
Chris is also a Certified Welsh Honey Judge and currently judges in regional and national honey shows. He owns Double Bee Honey, LLC which offers honey and other hive related products.
John will be focusing on the process of splitting colonies into nucs—a technique he has found incredibly effective in managing hive growth and sustainability.
John Land is a beekeeper & Hive Management Specialist who is originally from Jacksonville, Florida, who then moved to Clayton, Georgia, 14 years ago in search of new opportunities and a fresh start. Six years ago, he joined the team at Blue Ridge Honey Company, working under Bob Binnie. Believe it or not but at the time he knew nothing about honey bees and had no particular interest in them; he was simply looking for a better job.
Little did he know, beekeeping would become a passion and a central part of his life!
Over the years, John has gained invaluable hands-on experience in hive management, honey production, and colony health. His journey from a complete novice to an experienced beekeeper has been both challenging and rewarding and he is excited to share some of what he has learned with us.
Bob Binnie with Blue Ridge Honey Company will be our guest speaker and will be talking about the Chemistry of Honey Processing.
Bob Binnie, along with his wife Suzette, owns Blue Ridge Honey Co. in Lakemont, Georgia, operating 2000 colonies along with a sizable honey packing operation. Voted “Beekeeper Of The Year” by the Georgia Beekeepers Association in 2003 Bob has been involved in commercial beekeeping for nearly four decades.
Ian Collins, a UGA Graduate Research Assistant in the Honey bee lab under Dr. Lewis Bartlett. He will be talking about honeybees and one of their pests, the small hive beetle. He will be providing the latest on his research on deterring small hive beetle infestations.
Master Beekeeper, Olivia Menard talks about getting ready for the upcoming season and how to split hives.
Club member and Journeyman beekeeper, Roger Kicklighter will present Meet The Buckfast Bee. This Hybrid line of the Western Honey Bee was developed by Brother Adam at the Buckfast Abby Monastery located in Southwest England over the past one hundred years.
Join us September 9th at 7pm, 275 Cleveland Rd in Bogart when Dr Lewis Bartlett from the Bee Lab will discuss Small Hive Beetles.
A follow on to Olivia Menard’s introductory talk “A Year in the Beeyard”, this talk will go through a seasoned beekeeper’s calendar of events. Olivia will share more advanced strategies for timing different Integrated Pest Management actions, and setting up for queen rearing success throughout her typical year in the beeyard.
Olivia Menard is a UGA Master Beekeeper in Lawrenceville, GA. An Aerospace Engineer by trade, Olivia began keeping bees to practice mindfulness. Bees have since become an integral part of Olivia’s path toward learning about where our food comes from and looking for ways to make her food more local and sustainable.
Olivia is Regional Director for the Metro Atlanta Area of the Georgia Beekeepers Association where she also serves on the Legislative Committee. She is a member of Beekeepers Club of Gwinnett, Eastern Piedmont Beekeepers Association in Athens-Clarke County, and Tri-County Beekeepers club in Banks County.
Please join us at 7pm. 275 Cleveland Rd, Bogart GA 30607.
More than just honey, part 2! Our own Lena Franklin will teach us how she makes candles, lip balm, moisture cream, jewelweed and lotion bars.
Please join us at 7pm. 275 Cleveland Rd, Bogart GA 30607.
Making Cold Process Soap with Syleena Brownlee the Blue Ridge Honey Company way.
